Mario and Luigi: Brothers of the Stars
by Browa123
Summary: The Super Mario Bros. are on another adventure again. This time, they team up with themselves from an alternate, destroyed universe to save theirs from meeting the same fate! Can the Mario Bros and First Universe Bros defeat Black Hole Bowser? Or will eternal darkness reign forevermore?
1. Prolouge: A Star of Infinite Power

Now, allow me to tell you a story that happened a very long time ago.

Once upon a time, when the universe was new and life had just begun, a star of two colors descended to the new land to give it's power to the world and it's people. This star, that had infinite power within it, unlike anything else, was known as the Infinity Star. For generations, this star's power was shared between two kingdoms on a small planet in this universe, and people were happy. Both kingdoms, lush and plentiful from the star's power, thrived for many years to come, until...

The king of one of the kingdoms grew greedy, demanding the power of the Infinity Star be his and his alone. Of course, the other kingdom refused, demanding the power be shared equally as it always has been. The argument grew and grew, until, for the first time since the universe was born, the kingdoms declared war. The battles escalated and no end was in sight.

The greedy king only grew more vile in his attempt to take the star's power for himself. He would use lies and propaganda to sway his people to keep fighting for him. The kingdom itself soon began to loose it's lush look. The sky darkened with smoke, and trees rotted away. The only thing that grew in that kingdom was unhealthy crab grass, and all the water replaced with lava. The once lush utopia had gotten the life and energy sucked out of it as punishment for the kingdom's growing greed and violence that stained the citizen's hearts, and it showed.

Citizens of this once lively kingdom grew deformed. Once upright mushroom kingdom people began to devolve into turtle-like humanoids called koopas. Their king was the most changed of all. He could even spit fire, and the spikes on his shell didn't help his appearance. This king of koopas was the first in line of a terrible and tyrannical race to rule this dystopian kingdom. The fighting against the other kingdom still showed no signs of stopping.

Worried about the fate of the Infinity Star, the ancestors to the Mushroom Kingdom decided to seal it away, and make sure it was inaccessible to the Koopa Kingdom. Using strong metal and magic enchantments, the ancient people hid the Infinity Star in a medallion, putting it's power to sleep and sent it to the heavens of their planet, with a prophecy:

"Only two, brothers of red and green may wield the power of this great star, and after the bearer's thirty-seventh birthday, when wed to a princess or a life changing event occurs, may the Infinity Star awaken and cease the fight between kingdoms, making the bearer King of the Universe, and his brother ruler of our fair planet."

After one hundred years, the medallion returned around the neck of a young baby with a red cap. The boy's name was Mario, and he had a brother named Luigi. The brothers were found soon after being kidnapped by the current advisor to the Koopa Kingdom, Kamek. A young, blue Yoshi had rescued the brothers and brought them to the castle, where they were soon raised to be the kings they would eventually become. Mario would be wed to the princess of the Mushroom Kingdom, Peach, soon after his thirty-seventh birthday.

At least, that was what should have happened.

Angered at the fact that his arch-nemesis would soon become king of the universe, the current king of the Koopa Kingdom, Bowser, decided to intervene with fate. The fire-breathing tyrant searched every nook and cranny of his castle to find a way to stop the prophecy. At last, it came to him. A book on gods and how to gain power. There he saw it, to gain the power to stop the prophecy, Bowser would have to sell his soul to the God of Destruction. Desperate, as the day of Mario's wedding grew closer, Bowser summoned the god and made the trade. Mario would be in for a big surprize on his wedding day. Bowser no longer had care for Peach, he craved something. Destruction. Using his new-found power, Bowser would destroy everything Mario held dear, his princess, his medallion, his planet...his universe.

Things played out just as Bowser had planned. He had staged a kidnapping to lure the Mario Brothers into his masterful trap. Then, the plan was executed. Bowser changed into his new form, Black Hole Bowser, complete with deep purple wings and extended horns. Black Hole Bowser used the most powerful spell in his arsenal: A Black Hole spell to swallow up the universe. Just as the soulless king planned, Mario was taken away into the dark creation, to his doom. Though, he didn't anticipate Luigi's escape. It didn't matter. The green fool, even with the medallion Mario had given to him in his last moments wouldn't mean much.

The spell took on more than it could handle, and eventually imploded on itself. Black Hole Bowser had flown away, celebrating his victory. A new universe was born due to the explosion, leaving Luigi, now Star Luigi: King of the Universe, alone. The poor, lonely Mario Brother began to sob. Everything was gone. His home, his friends, his brother. Star Luigi began to cry loudly, calling for his brother, calls that wouldn't be answered. At least, not for a long time.

It had been about a thousand years when Star saw his brother again. The now star-eyed king had built a spaceship to travel his new kingdom, but even with the lumas he rescued and the cat who could speak, he still felt lonely. There was an empty hole in his heart, he missed his brother. The universe to him was just too quiet. How Star longed to hear his brother chattering about himself and his accomplishments again. He longed to stand in Mario's shadow again, he didn't even realize how much he'd missed it until it was finally gone. Just to see his brother's eyes again would make his heart skip with the thrill and excitement it used to have again. No... his brother was gone, dead. Mario was dead, and Star had to move on. It was the hard truth, but the younger brother just couldn't find it in himself to accept it. That's when he came back.

A voice had called Luigi's name. Star ignored it the first time, passing it off as a memory that just wouldn't die. Star felt really hot all of a sudden. The voice called his name louder. Star didn't have it in him to turn around, for he would see nothing there. The voice called Luigi's name insistently now. Star Luigi continued to pass it off, until it got annoyingly persistent. Star turned around to see his older brother's eyes. The poor brother was speechless. He was hallucinating for sure, Mario is dead and he knows it. "About time you turned around," this so-called hallucination chirped. Now Star wasn't so sure about his sanity. He inspected the figure in front of him. It was a fire ghost, spiritual flames that are born when one with a lot of heart and a flaming soul looses their life. Mario's soul, Fire Mario, was there in front of Luigi.

"B-Bro...? Is it...really you?" Star managed to utter. "Yup! It's-a-Me!" Called Fire Mario happily. The hole in Star Luigi's heart began to heal, as he embraced his brother (Making sure to make himself fireproof) immediately after that, bursting into tears. Fire Mario comforted his brother. "It's ok...don't cry...I'm here for you."

"Mario...promise me you won't ever leave again," Star sniffled. "I would never dream of it, little bro..."


	2. Attack in the Night

There was an eerie presence over the Mushroom Kingdom today. It had just recovered from the most lethal attack recorded in history. Everything was in ruins and covered in ash. Purple flames could still be seen burning from the ruthless assault on the kingdom. The cause? First Universers.

The unknown attackers descended upon the fair kingdom in the dark of night. Dozens of airships made of bone, lead by a massive MotherShip-like vessel that modeled after the Kingdom of Darkland's own airships. Silently, they approached, until the fire of the first cannons. Dry bones decended, their eyes glowing purple in the night, armored and powerful. Others seemed to practically rise from the ground, and they announced their presence. The lead airship of bone approached, their leader seeming to look like Bowser, but had some vastly different details, like purple bat wings and long claws for fingers. The malevolent Black Hole Bowser stared down at the carnage he was causing, and gave a soulless smile. The purple fires burned into the night, while Black Hole Bowser threw back his head and cackled.

It was the evening after, and a meeting was being held in what was left in the castle.

"It is clear to us that the First Universers are out enemies," Toadsworth concluded. "They are very dangerous and powerful, and must not be taken lightly!" "Agreed, we can just let this happen again," Peach added. Professor E. Gadd had walked in, with news to share. "I just found a solution to our problem! By using energy from the First Universe Ghosts, we can fight back against our attackers!" The exited professor exclaimed. And a plan was formed from there.

"Masters Mario and Luigi, I trust you will collect these First Universe ghosts proper, so we can convert them into energy?" Toadsworth inquired. Mario nodded, while Luigi stayed silent. "Master Luigi?" Toadsworth questioned. Luigi remained quiet, a bead of sweat poured down his forehead. "Master Luigi?" No answer. "Luigi?" Mario called to his brother. Finally, Luigi rapidly shook his head "no," and backed up a bit. E. Gadd chuckled. "It looks like Luigi's a bit scared to go ghost hunting again." Luigi nodded. Mario walked over to him and gave him a few reassuring words. Luigi tentatively made way to his brother's back and stuck behind it. "Oh, and one more thing," E. Gadd stated, pulling out a weird gizmo. Luigi recognized it instantly. "You'll need this new-and-improved 3-Daul-Scream to find the First Universe ghosts." Luigi takes the 3DS in his hands and nods. The Bros. head out of the castle to go find First Universe ghosts.

*One Week Later, no Specified Location*

"You know what, fine! If your so intent on being alone!" "W-wait, I didn't mean it like-" "Shut it! You've stated your opinion. I'm not good enough to help you!" "That's not what I-" "I get it. You think I'm too weak to do this, but I'll prove you wrong!" "No, wait, I-" "I'll take care of it faster than you can!" There's a thumping sound and a door slam.

"I didn't mean it like that..."


	3. Flames of a Fallen Hero

It had been a while into collecting First Universe Ghosts. The 3DS was doing it's job nicely, as a number had already been captured. Just a few more, and the container of ghosts could be sent back to be converted into raw energy. The kingdom's fate once again rested on the Mario Bros. shoulders. Mario and Luigi were walking around Green Grass Gateway, just in front of the castle, in front of their house. Then again, the landscape of the Mushroom Kingdom was always changing unexplainably, so Green Grass Gateway was probably only going to be a temporary name. Regardless, the green field with flower linings was refreshing this time of year. Luigi almost wanted to forget the mission and stare at clouds while laying on the soft grass. But alas, the 3DS began to beep again, indicating it located another nearby set of First Universe Ghosts. The bros. headed off in that general direction, in hopes of filling the ghost container full enough to send back to the castle.

The signal lead the bros. toward a side cave just beside Green Grass Gateway. The rocky area had red streaks in the stones and a few bits of ash, like there was a fire there at some point. The lack of moss and dry rocks also seemed to point to this. What caused the fire was beyond anyone, but that wasn't the point. There in the back were two giggling ghosts, snickering about a rumor. They looked to have died at a young age, and were practically children. The two, a Yoshi ghost and a Toad ghost, donning typical First Universe clothes, began to laugh even more. "Ha! Those two current universers aren't gonna find us in here!" One of them called. "Yeah. They may have taken our buddies, but they're not getting us!" The other chirped, and they giggled again. Mario and Luigi approached.

"Huh? Uh-oh. They're here!" The young Toad yelled to his friend. "They immediately hugged close to each other as the bros. got closer. "Wh-what do you think they're gonna do to us?!" the Yoshi wailed. "Didn't you hear what they did to all the poor ghosts hiding in the castle!? They're gonna tear us apart slowly and make sure our spirits never see the light of day again!" The Toad shrieked. AS the bros. got closer, the ghosts began to cry for help, persistently. The bros approached even closer, until a flaming mallet, seemingly out of nowhere, flew in front of them and hit the rock beside them. The 3DS began to rapidly beep and sputter. There was a third ghost in the room now. And according to the spectral energy level, this ghost could easily make cheesecake out of at least ten King Boos.

The fiery mallet pulled itself out of the wall, and floated eerily in front of Mario and Luigi. A look of recognition crossed the two young ghost's faces. "Whoa! Do you think that's-!" The toad commented in shock. "We're gonna be saved, if it who were thinking we're thinking! Nobody beats this guy!" The Yoshi squealed. That didn't sound good. Just who were these ghost talking about, whoever it was didn't sound like a nice guy. Luigi had no extra time to think, because the moment he lowered the 3DS from his face, he was met by a terrifying image.

A flaming red version of his brother, carrying a large mallet, with claws and fangs to boot, screeched loudly in Luigi's face, causing the green plumber to run for the hills. the ghost chuckled, looking amused at his prank, before throwing his mallet to close off the cave from Luigi. The flame trail scorched the entrance and blocked it off with flames. Mario was stuck inside the cave with the fiery counterpart, who gave a fanged smirk before charging at Mario to attack.

The battle began, Fire Mario having a determined look in his eyes. He charged at Mario with full force, surrounded in spectral flames, and Mario had to stop the blow with his own hammer. Fire Mario rebounds for a second and third charge, only to get blocked by Mario's hammer again. Fire Mario waited patently for Mario to take his turn, because that's how it works. Mario tries to leap on Fire Mario's head, but the fire ghost counterattacks with his flaming hammer. Enemies weren't allowed to counterattack! Fire Mario then took his turn, conjuring fireballs and aiming them at Mario. Mario had to skillfully jump to avoid them. The battle raged on, and both opponents appeared to be equally matched. Luigi could only watch from outside.

"Wait bro! I've found a weak spot in his fighting style! He's a bit to show-offy when fighting!" Luigi called through the flames keeping him out. What he said was undoubtedly true, Fire Mario was completely over-confident and very self-centered. Though a pang of sadness pulled over the fire ghost when Luigi mentioned it. A memory, perhaps? The fight was showing Mario who this flaming doppel of sorts who he really is. This fire ghost was fighting to protect the two children behind him. Though he was brash when fighting, his heart was true, and his reasons just. The ghosts of the two children were innocent, and Fire Mario was their hero in their time of need. But still, the battle didn't calm just yet.

Only when Luigi started cheering, did Fire Mario begin to slow his attack. "Hey, wait, where's Fire Mario's brother?" The young ghost Toad asked. "I heard they got into a fight and separated," The Yoshi replied. Fire Mario stopped in his tracks, he couldn't take it any longer. As his heart sunk into his stomach, Fire Mario dropped the fiery mallet in defeat.


	4. The Arguement

Tears began to well in Fire Mario's eyes as he floated down to the floor. That hit him, hard. The way Luigi cheered Mario on at a distance, it made something click in the fire ghost. "Little bro…I-I…I didn't mean to say the things I said…" whimpered Fire Mario. He brushed his tears away. "I want you to come back, little bro. Please, I didn't mean it like that!" Fire Mario cried. The flames keeping Luigi out had died down. Fire Mario was sobbing on the ground now, streams of lava pouring from his eyes in sad tears. Fire Mario never realized how much he really needed his brother in his afterlife. He cried on and on, the two young ghosts floating up to him to offer comfort. They help the sobbing fire ghost off the ground, and rub his back, calming him a bit.

"Thanks, you two. I-I appreciate it…" Fire Mario mumbled softly. He was still a bit choked up. "So, what happened between you and your brother?" Luigi asked curiously. "I said a few of the wrong things..."

*Star Luigi's Spaceship, Three Days ago*

"Look, I don't want you following me this time," Fire Mario huffed, annoyed at his brother's persistence. "W-why not?" Star asked. A growing sadness appeared in his eyes. "Because, I'm doing this one alone, how many times do I have to say that I don't need you!?" growled Fire Mario. He quickly covered his mouth in realization to what he had just said. Star Luigi looked equally shocked, and the sadness faded to anger. "Wait, Star I didn't mean it like-!" Fire Mario called. "So you finally admit it," Star mumbled darkly. "No, wait, Star!" Fire Mario called to his brother. The star-eyed king glared. "You know what, fine! If you're really so intent on being alone!" Star yelled. Fire Mario grew more shocked and saddened. "W-wait, I didn't mean it like-"Fire Mario uttered. "Shut it! You've stated your opinion. I'm not good enough to help you!" hissed Star. "That's not what I…!" Fire Mario cried. "I get it, you think I'm too weak to do this, but I'll prove you wrong!" Star yelled louder, clearly very angry at his brother. "No, wait! I-" Fire Mario called. "I'll take care of it faster than you can!" Star huffed. With that, a very angry king of the universe stomped towards the door of the ship, and he slammed it on his way out with a huff.

*Present Day, Green Grass Gateway Cave"

"I didn't mean it like that…" Fire Mario sighed. Everyone was gathered around him to hear his story. "The thing is, my brother is afraid of current universers, and he might have been hurt or worse when we went to go take care of the problem at hand," he continued. "The problem, you mean us gathering first Universe Ghosts?" Mario asked. "Yes, that. What you're doing is hurting out friends. Converting them into energy and all that," Fire Mario went on. "I had to find a way to peacefully settle these disputes between you and Black Hole Bowser without letting more of our friends get hurt."

After some long negotiating, with the princess as well, it is agreed to use the First Universers in a different way to defeat the looming threat above them. They would be gathered in the castle peacefully, and use their powers to reach the First Universe from the current one. Luigi also made a promise to Fire Mario. That while looking for First Universe Ghosts, they would also try and find Fire Mario's brother, Star Luigi, and clear up the dispute between the two.

 **FIRE MARIO JOINED YOUR PARTY!**

As a First Universe Ghost, Fire Mario has a higher Attack stat and lower defence Star than Mario. Fire Mario can learn up to eight solo specials, learning one every five levels. Fire Mario cannot Bros Attack with Mario or Luigi, but can leave a burn status on those he attacks or attacks him. Like how you control Mario and Luigi with A and B, control Fire Mario with X.


	5. Enter, King of the Universe!

Mario, Luigi and Fire Mario had navigated their way through the Mushroom kingdom, through Green Grass Gateway all the way to the next area, Lily Pad Lake, where a thunderstorm had started overhead about three days ago, and hasn't stopped since. It only seemed to be above the lake where the dark, thunderous clouds rumbled and crackled. The rain seemed endless and the storm was fierce, making the lake highly uninhabited as of late.

"It's almost as if that storm was started to keep people away from Lily Pad Lake," Luigi commented. Another thunder crackle sent a shocked Luigi into Mario's arms. Mario coaxed his brother to calm down, and that the lightening was too high up to hit them. Luigi got to his feet and pulled out the 3DS. It was fuzzy due to the lightening's interference with the signal, but Luigi could see that there were recuitable First Universe Ghosts above the thunder clouds. "I guess we need to get up there…" Mario huffed. "No, no way, count me out!" Fire Mario immediately spat. "I'm not getting within feet of all that water, no way in the First Universe."

Mario and Luigi exchange a confused look. "Are you afraid of water?" The both asked at the same time. Fire Mario nodded shamefully. "It's the only thing that can get rid of me, forever," He mumbled, ashamed his weakness was a little bit of H2O. "I know! What if we use the First Universe Ghosts we've collected up to this point to get us up there?" Mario asks. "That's not a half bad idea, let's do it!"

As planned, the ghosts helped the trio to their destination, a castle, green above the clouds, generating a thunderstorm below. Inside seemed to be an electrically run factory, full of lumas and more First Universe Ghosts. They all fled when the Bros. and Fire Mario approached. A screen with a silhouette came down, and the leader of this Stormy Castle-Factory spoke.

"So you arrive…" The screen's voice filter makes the speaker's voice indistinguishable. "You have come to take away the free people of this castle, just to use them for your own ploys, have you? You'll have to get past my trials to reach them, and me. There are five trials, each requiring a different skill. The fifth trial will involve one of you fighting me to determine what the fate of these ghosts, but that is the only hint I will give," the silhouette says, before the screen shuts off and retreats back to the ceiling.

The four upcoming trials were trials by fire, water, air and earth, having to navigate each room to the end without burning/drowning/falling/sinking in quicksand. Each puzzle was easily navigated and completed. There remained the final trial, trial by thunder. The door through to the next room had a strange, cryptic language written on it. "It's First Universer for 'Only those with a soul sparked by lightning may pass through here'" Fire Mario explained. "I kind of remember it as my brother's way of saying "Luigi's Only" back on the Thunder Starchaser." Luigi looked puzzled. "What's a Thunder Starchaser?" He asked. "It's my bro's self-built ship," Fire Mario elaborated.

"So, only Luigi can go through…" Mario mumbled absentmindedly. "I'm the one that has to take down the leader of this place…" Luigi groaned, not ready to take a boss on, on his own. "Don't worry about it, you'll do fine," Fire Mario commented. Luigi sucked in a deep breath, and entered the doorway, which was soon closed off by a green-electric grid. A hooded figure stood across from him, at the other side of the room. A crowd of First Universe ghosts tentatively watched their protector approach Luigi. "Shall we?" He cooed, it an almost too familiar tone, that sounded _exactly like Luigi's own voice_. Luigi simply nodded. The hooded figure approached to a battle's distance from Luigi, before the fight commenced.

The hooded figure gave a knowing look, before taking a mint green hand towards the hood, taking it off and commencing the first move, two electric swords from his own hands swinging violently at Luigi. He could barely dodge the other's attack, before attempting a hammer swing of his own. His attacker dodged swiftly and went in for another round of swordplay. Luigi could see now that the one standing in front of him was Fire Mario's brother, doing what his brother was earlier, protecting First Universe Ghosts. Luigi again swiftly dodged the other's attacks, and went for another hammer swing. The second Luigi avoided again, before landing a stinging, electric hit on Luigi, sending the younger Mario bro to the ground. This other Luigi, Star Luigi, stood over his counterpart's crippled form with a knowing smirk.

"I know what your problem is, current universer. You are highly predictable. You strive so to impress your brother, so you copy him. But, you're clumsy and a bit awkward doing this, am I right?" Star calmly asked Luigi. How could he know that, unless…

"Y-you did something like that, too?" Luigi asked, still on the ground. "It was a long time ago… But after I lost my brother to death, I decided I didn't need to copy him exactly anymore. I could act, think and fight like myself, not like Mario. You're still doing that, you're still predictable," Star elaborated coolly. "So, if you want to at least stand a chance in this fight, I suggest you act more like yourself and less like your brother."

Luigi got to his feet, and the battle continued. The younger Mario bro had to be less predictable. Every time he tried to attack Star with his hammer, he dodged to the left. So when Star tried this charade with the electroblades again, Luigi swung his hammer and made a large punch to his left, with his hand coated in electric sparks. Star got sent flying across the room. "Now that's more like it," the electrifying, starry captain thought to himself, before picking himself up and attacking again. Luigi prepared to read Star's counters and dodges, and act accordingly. It was the most comfortable feeling style of fighting he had ever had the chance to experience. No longer did he feel awkward and clumsy, but a new sense of balance and control washed over Luigi during this fight. It just felt right to swing his hammer more like a sword than a mallet, to dodge flexibly and use his lack of traction as an advantage. A more satisfied look crossed his opponents face as he fought this way, and things soon picked up into a more fair fight.

Eventually, Fire Mario tossed something to Luigi, with a "give it to him, and he should stop fighting" message written on it. The object was a chocolate bar. Star immediately stopped in place and locked his eyes on the candy. Luigi moved the chocolate bar around and Star's eyes never left it. He waved it and Star nodded. "Before I can give this to you, you have to let our bros through, and you have to forgive your brother," Luigi commanded. "I was planning to later, I overreacted and stuff, but then all these First Universe Ghosts came flocking to me, and I couldn't leave them unsupervised," Star explained. Luigi tossed Star the chocolate bar and Star got rid of the electric barrier keeping the Marios out. Fire Mario and Star Luigi gave their apologies and made up. The First Universe Ghosts were pleased that the heat between them and the current universers had died down, and soon made their way to Peach's castle.

"The least I can do now is help you three out," Star proposed. He joined the back of the line, just behind his brother.

 **STAR LUIGI JOINED YOUR PARTY**

Star has a high attack and speed stat compared to Luigi, but his defence and stache are a bit on the laggy side. Star utilizes two electric swords instead of a hammer, but uses them in a similar way. Star can perform First Universe Bros attacks with Fire Mario, and his given you access to Quartet Attacks. Control Star Luigi with Y


	6. Arriving at our Destination

After Star Luigi joined the Mario Brothers and his own brother, things were pretty smooth sailing. The First Universe ghosts left to reunite with their friends at Peach's Castle, and the quartet made an easy cross over Lily Pad Lake. They reached Dusty Dry Desert soon enough, where they battled Boney Piranha and saved Aquoshi. Aquoshi lead the other ghosts in the desert to the castle. Along the way, Star mentioned something about his missing green powerstars, and that they would need a few to get to Black Hole Bowser. There were fifty in total, some here, and some far away. They needed ten, and all the support from the first universe ghost they collected to get Star's ship, the Thunder Starchaser back in the air. Aquoshi joined then, happy to see the brothers again. They striked up many friendly conversations throughout the trip in space, taking the Galactic Path. Though, a squad of Black Hole Bowser's airships and two dry juggernauts attacked during the flight. Eventually, they reached their destination: The First Universe.

It was dark, and bits of grey rubble circled everywhere. It reeked of death (Not a very pleasant smell) and everything appeared to be in carnage. The only thing allowing anyone to see was Fire Mario's ghostly light, as well as the slightly illuminated, purple, swirling mass of magic at the edge of this destroyed land. Star pulled out his Tri-scream, a device he made improvements of his own on, it used to be the dual scream, and scanned around the area. "Black Hole Bowser's Castle is in the center of the black hole spell. It's much too far a flight for Fire Mario to carry us, and we'd all fall. There has to be a way to get to it…." The star-eyed king explained. "Maybe there's something in that rickety old castle over there?" Luigi asked. Beside a swirl of grey rubble was a castle that looked on the brink of collapsing. It was slightly pink, but looked tattered and dusty with grey remains. All of its windows were shattered, and the doors in shambles. "Maybe…" Fire Mario mused, with a bit of sadness. This place appeared to be getting to him. "It's the best option we've got," Mario stated, before walking forwards.

Suddenly, A koopa clown copter, carrying two dropped down and relinquished its contents. It was Bowser Jr. and Fawful! "No trespassers!" Bowser Jr. stated defiantly. "Suspicious fink rats such as yourselves will not pass into the Castle of Peach!" Fawful stated. "So says us, The Troublesome Buddies!" They chant at the same time. The teenage koopa lifted his paintbrush and crossed it with the beanish's mechanical arm. Fawful then pulled a lever in the koopa clown copter. "Fink rats shall taste Mecha's wrath and fall in the dungeon of pranks, where fink rats belong!" Mecha Fawful declared. "We might reconsider letting you out if you pass though out trials!" Blaze Bowser Jr. declared. The floor beneath the quartet opened and dropped them into a dungeon with various pranking devices, as the Troublesome Buddies laughed their guts out at them.

After a bit of navigating, and whip-cream pies to the face, the bros made it out of the prank dungeon. "H-How'd you get past our master maze!" BBJ spouted upon seeing them return. "Mecha gives fink rats credit where credit is due, but you will not pass any further! Trespassers are not allowed!" And with that, the buddies attack.

After masterfully beating them brush and robot, and besting their own Bros. Attack, the buddies are defeated. "N-now that I think about it…didn't that greenie have THAT on him…?" BBJ moaned. Mecha looked Star up and down a minute. "The Troublesome Buddies have been sorely mistaken, it appears. The princesses should be waiting for them inside…" He moans. They grant the bros access to the castle, finally.

There, inside the ruined castle, two princesses wait. It appears they've been waiting a long time for something. Fire Mario is the first to approach. "Princess?" He asks. The pink ghost turns around, and surprize take her sunglasses covered eyes. "M-Mario…after all these years…!" Tears begin to well up in the princess' eyes as she embraces Fire Mario in a tight hug. Mario returns the hug himself. "I thought I'd never see you again…" She mutters though her uncontrollable sobs of joy. Fire Mario rubs her back. "Shh… It's ok…Don't cry…." He reassures. Star himself walks up to Daisy. She glances over and huffs. "Took you two long enough..." She groans, displeased. "Err…right…guess we're a bit late…" Star utters, a blush coming across his cheeks. "Now, you should know Black Hole Bowser is in that spell of his, right?" Daisy asks, and everyone nods. "The thing is, only two of you can go inside of it. Even if it's lost its magical strength, it's still dangerous if more than two go in at a time. It's your choice to make, who to bring. It might even affect the outcome of your adventure…" "There's a lever that activates a path into that black hole, at the other side of this castle," Shiftspirit Peach tells Fire Mario. He nods, and slowly lets go of her, reluctantly. And they head for the lever.

Pulling the lever forms the circling grey stones into a solid staircase leading to Black Hole Bowser's castle inside the spell of swirling destruction. "Now is the time to make your choice. The bros you leave behind will stay with us, while the other pair goes inside the black hole and defeats Bowser once and for all. You cannot change your choice after you enter the Black Hole," Daisy elaborates.

So…who's it going to be?

 _ ***Send the Bros. *Send the First Universe Bros.**_


	7. Send the First Universe Bros: Bad Ending

**MLBotS NORMAL ENDING**

"We should send the First Universe Bros, it's been their fight from the beginning, anyway," Mario decides. Daisy nods. "Alright, you and your brother will stay here while Fire Mario and Star Luigi go to Black Hole Bowser Castle and defeat him once and for all."

The First Universe Bros walked up the stairway given to them. Fire Mario felt uncomfortable walking towards the very spell that had killed him all those years ago. Star gave his brother a reassuring pat on the back before entering. "Are you ok, little bro? You've been acting a bit weird ever since we got here…" The fire ghost commented. "I'll be alright…just homesick," He replied, and they didn't speak about the matter further. Fire Mario just felt an uncomfortable chill, as impossible as it sounds, when he entered the swirling darkness.

Black Hole Bowser Castle was a large maze. One path always seemed lead to another, with dark turns and twisted traps in every corner. There were oddly no minions to be found and the traps weren't impossible to avoid. It appeared Black Hole Bowser was waiting for them. Though, the lack of guards and less than standard traps only seemed to make the atmosphere more unnerving. They could see the pitch black emptiness outside, with no end in sight to the darkness. An illusion of what the world would become if they didn't stop this here and now. Soon, a bit of writing appeared on the walls. Fire Mario decided to read over it as the walked past it.

"Once upon a time, when the universe was new and life had just begun, a star of two colors descended to the new land to give it's power to the world and it's people. This star, that had infinite power within it, unlike anything else, was known as the Infinity Star. For generations, this star's power was shared between two kingdoms on a small planet in this universe, and people were happy. Both kingdoms, lush and plentiful from the star's power, thrived for many years to come, until...

The king of one of the kingdoms grew greedy, demanding the power of the Infinity Star be his and his alone. Of course, the other kingdom refused, demanding the power be shared equally as it always has been. The argument grew and grew, until, for the first time since the universe was born, the kingdoms declared war. The battles escalated and no end was in sight."

It was the origin story of the First Universe. Though, there was something different about it. Reading onward, Fire Mario began to learn the reality behind Black Hole Bowser's power. It went like this:

"The koopas became deformed, body and soul. Their negativity began to create a new energy in the universe, the polar opposite to the Infinity Star's light. The negative darkness started small, weak and frail from the remaining good in the koopa's hearts. But, nothing lasts forever. As the king grew more corrupt, the residents of the koopa kingdom fled to avoid being consumed by the now ever-present darkness. They had a label for the thing now. It was knowns as the demon that hides in shadow, the one with a heart of chaos and soul of darkness. This was an evil entity born of greed and hatred, a divine being with a lust for elimination. It became The God of Destruction. To counter it, the ancient people of the land sealed the Infinity Star away and created seven hearts to at least keep it under control. The king of koopas, corrupted by the god, did not want the master he created to vanish so easily. He created a book, based of dark predictions of the destructive one, and called it The Dark Prognosticus. A heartbroken on found the book and decided to use it in finishing what the demon had started by creating a powerful, dimension destroying black hole spell, known as the Void. But, while summoning the demon's heart and soul, a man in green intervened and stamped upon the thing. Not knowing the consequences of his actions, he proceeded to mess with the wedding summoning the heart and soul. At that very moment, the God of Destruction became two entities."

*The rest of the text is scratched out by electric marks.

Fire Mario immediately looked to his brother, who had a faraway look in his eyes. "We don't have time for you to stand there and read. What if the void spell reactivates again?" Fire Mario nodded and took the lead over Star again. He must have absentmindedly walked in front of Fire Mario. "Are you sure you're ok, you look a little out of it," Fire Mario asked again. "I said I was fine, let it go," Star replied again. There in front of them, was the throne room. They entered to see Black Hole Bowser, standing with his back to them. "It's always you two, isn't it?" He stated dryly.

"Cut the chit-chat, let's get this over with," Star huffed. And the battle began. Black Hole threw everything he had at the bros, from purple flames to spouts of darkness, with aerial attacks and earthquakes. It made him hard to predict every time he changed his attack pattern. Eventually, Black Hole Bowser used a void spell to suck the First Universe Bros in and trap them forever. But soon, the escapade flipped on it's head, and Black Hole was the one running from his own spell. If, for only a brief moment, the good in him returned as he plead for help from someone, anyone! Fire Mario saw this and went to help, before pulling him aside. "Don't let him trick you with that look, it's a trap so he can drag you in," Star stated, and Fire Mario went back to keeping his distance, despite the Koopa King's desperate cries for help.

Black Hole looked truly afraid as he pleaded for help. "I just want to see my son again!" He began to cry. He howled in pain now, as he began to loose his grip on the ground. "I just want to see Jr. again…" He whimpered before letting go and falling into the darkness.

Then, the darkness shook. The darkness of the black hole spell began to crumble as a boney hand reached out from the abyss. It latched on to the edge and began to pull it's form out. ""I am...DRy…DaRknESs ... KiLl...I...wIlL kIlL...eVerYthINg...Start...with you..." The form growled. A sickeningly dark sensation creped up Fire Mario's back. He had heard that speech before, a long time ago from something else. The soul of the boney figure glowed though the darkness, a soul made of darkness. A dry version of Black Hole Bowser escaped the void behind him as it collapsed. Dry Darkness stared at the First Universe Bros. His scarf ripped and his long claws detached from his hands. The eyes of the monster were dark, except for two, glowing purple slits that contained the monster's focus. Then it let out a blood curdling screech and charged at the First Universe Bros.

It was the final battle. Whatever sanity Black Hole had left was gone, leaving only Dry Darkness, who attacked with much more ferocity than previously. There were many of the same attacks, raped up, with immunity to pain as a boot for the monster. It seemed almost impossible to defeat. Star found a way to charge the Infinity Star and create attack that would collapse Dry Darkness's boney shell to leave the darkness soul suspended there. "We have to weaken it!" Star declared as the bros attacked the weak point. Dry Darkness picked himself off the ground and attacked even more fiercely. It went on for w while. The ground began to shake, and the castle began to crumble. "Keep on fighting, we've almost got him!" Fire Mario called, charging another attack on the soul. And, after a long battle, finally, the darkness behind Black Hole Bowser's power was destroyed, leaving the skeletal monster in pieces, permanently.

"We've finally done it!" Fire Mario cheered. "I can't wait to tell the princesses, right, Luigi?" He asked his brother. Star began to slowly clap. "Well done, bro…we never could've done this without each other…" Star mused. His tone was sickeningly sweet. The chills returned to Fire Mario, and his tail couldn't stop twitching for some reason. "What are you so afraid of, bro? We've finally won after all these years, haven't we?" Star cooed. Now there was defiantly something wrong with him. Star's smile was empty, and his eyes almost emotionless. This wasn't the way Star usually acted, even when feigning confidence for the sake of the crowd. This wasn't his little brother and his quirky joy. Fire Mario continued to feel chills. This could only mean one thing.

"Dark Thunder…"

The slow clapping seemed to slightly increase pace. "Bravo, to the victor goes the spoils…" Star, now identified to be possessed by Dark Thunder, cooed. Fire Mario pulled out his mallet. "How are you here? Star isn't angry at anything!" He exclaimed. Dark Thunder only tilted his head, and opened his palm. The previously destroyed, or so Fire Mario thought, soul of darkness was now in Star's hands. He chuckled darkly. "Aww…is the little fire ghostie confused? Did you really think killing this old fool would solve all of your problems?" He chuckled. Fire Mario floated backwards a few paces. "You were reading that old scripture in the hallway… How ironic that the power you've been trying to protect the Infinity Star from for so long… how half of it's been inside that old star's guardian all this time… it's laughable, really. And those current universers fell into our trap by choosing us to go…all like I perfectly planned from the shadows of your brother's mind," Star again cooed. "But now you're all alone…helpless and alone in the darkness where no one can save you no matter how much you cry. Star never really has used the full extent of this medallion's jewel, how about we change that? It's not like you're a match for both of us alone…."

Outside, Fire Mario's screams leaked from the black hole they had entered. Everyone in the ruined castle looked outside to see the spell had reactivated, and was growing. "Wh-what's that?!" Luigi called, worried. "That…. That's the end of all existence. It appears the First Universe Bros failed to best their rival, and Black Hole took the Infinity Star," Daisy guessed. "It's over….we've lost…"

The screen fades to darkness; the only thing left is two glowing red slits, and sharp fangs. "Finally, I am whole again. I've destroyed everything and now rule over the remains…. It's not like you could've done anything… you made your choice…."

 **THE END**

 _What if we could take it all back? What if we could change the one decision we made, and fix our mistake? Could it fix all of this? Could it fix what we broke in our ignorance to the truth?_

 ***Send The Bros.**


	8. Send The Mario Bros (True Ending)

MLBotS: THE TRUE ENDING

"It's settled, then," Daisy announced. "The current universe Mario Brothers will enter the black hole and stop its creator. I advise caution, however, as it may reactivate at any minute."

With that, Mario and Luigi headed for the looming darkness above them, an irksome feeling in their guts. They could feel Star glare as they left. There was definitely something wrong with him, and he was in no state to take on his rival.

The mazy castle was full of enemies and traps, with no signs of stopping the hoard of oncoming monsters. They slowly got through all of them, and headed to a hallway with something inscribed on it:

"Once upon a time, when the universe was new and life had just begun, a star of two colors descended to the new land to give it's power to the world and it's people. This star, that had infinite power within it, unlike anything else, was known as the Infinity Star. For generations, this star's power was shared between two kingdoms on a small planet in this universe, and people were happy. Both kingdoms, lush and plentiful from the star's power, thrived for many years to come, until...

The king of one of the kingdoms grew greedy, demanding the power of the Infinity Star be his and his alone. Of course, the other kingdom refused, demanding the power be shared equally as it always has been. The argument grew and grew, until, for the first time since the universe was born, the kingdoms declared war. The battles escalated and no end was in sight."

It was the origin story of the First Universe. Though, there was something different about it. Reading onward, Mario and Luigi began to learn the reality behind Black Hole Bowser's power. It went like this:

"The koopas became deformed, body and soul. Their negativity began to create a new energy in the universe, the polar opposite to the Infinity Star's light. The negative darkness started small, weak and frail from the remaining good in the koopa's hearts. But, nothing lasts forever. As the king grew more corrupt, the residents of the koopa kingdom fled to avoid being consumed by the now ever-present darkness. They had a label for the thing now. It was known as the demon that hides in shadow, the one with a heart of chaos and soul of darkness. This was an evil entity born of greed and hatred, a divine being with a lust for elimination. It became The God of Destruction. To counter it, the ancient people of the land sealed the Infinity Star away and created seven hearts to at least keep it under control. The king of koopas, corrupted by the god, did not want the master he created to vanish so easily. He created a book, based of dark predictions of the destructive one, and called it The Dark Prognosticus. A heartbroken on found the book and decided to use it in finishing what the demon had started by creating a powerful, dimension destroying black hole spell, known as the Void. But, while summoning the demon's heart and soul, a man in green intervened and stamped upon the thing. Not knowing the consequences of his actions, he proceeded to mess with the wedding summoning the heart and soul. At that very moment, the God of Destruction became two entities.

The two pieces of the darkness separated, one remained sentient and roamed on in the world, the other latched on to the Man in Green's subconscious, lying dormant to be awakened. It became so when the heartbroken one's assistant attempted to put the Man in Green under the control he desired. That's when the half of darkness within awakened, and absorbed the negativity of the green one. It became his own darkness, awakened as a sentience inside the subconscious. And time passed, the darkness regaining its Chaos Heart in time, announcing itself as Dark Thunder. The monster was sealed away by the pure hearts, but never destroyed.

As for the other being, the one that still existed in the outside world, it soon gave its power to the one known now as Black Hole Bowser. When the God of Destruction split in two, the current koopa king had absorbed its Soul of Darkness. The piece soon returned to the half form, within Black Hole Bowser. And well, you know the story from there…"

The throne room lay ahead of the hallway. At that moment, a green blur rushed by, into the throne room, Fire Mario giving hot pursuit (No pun intended). "Guys, did you see Star? He just barrelled out of the castle in this direction, there was no stopping him!" The ghost exclaimed. Luigi pointed to the throne room. "We'd better go after him," Fire Mario concluded.

A grizzly sight awaited them inside the throne room. Black Hole Bowser was laying on the ground, his deep purple eyes were wide with fear and a large hole was clawed into the front of his shell, mainly around the chest area. The winged koopa was gasping for air as his attacker stood over him. Star, with long claws and a far off look in his dark eyes, gave a fanged smirk, holding a purple heart, the soul of darkness, in his clawed hands.

"Dark Thunder…." Fire Mario uttered, and Star's grin grew wider.

The possessed king carved a door frame out with his electroblades, and retreats into the created portal, with the Soul of Darkness. "After him!" Fire Mario yells, and they pursue.

Already, reality begins to tear at its seems. Lighting is crackling and everything is becoming distorted. The portal closes behind the bros, and everything begins to shake. Star is standing at the very center of the universe, limp, yet alive and floating, like a stuffed toy being held up by its owner. It was Star's shadow doing all the moving. Dark Thunder's silhouette lay behind Star, the shadow lighting up and showing the full demon in the storm. "Finally…after all these years…" Dark Thunder musses as he absorbs the soul, becoming some crazy fusion between Black Hole Bowser and himself. Star begins to twitch, violently. Dark Thunder, still shadowed behind the poor first universer, raises his claws and controls Star like a puppet. Star's eyes open again, showing the same, demented look as any time he's under Dark Thunder's influence. Grinning, Star lands on the ground, approaching the three in front of him.

"Heh heh heh…well, what do we have here?" The god of destruction mused through Star's own lips. "Let my brother go, you overgrown puddle of dark matter!" Fire Mario growls. Star tilted his head and smirked. "Sorry, this body's mine now… your brother is gone, lost in the ether of his own subconscious," growls Dark Thunder, amused at Fire Mario's futile attempts. "Then we'll stop you ourselves!" exclaimed Fire Mario. A dark chuckle from Star. "Do you know the situation you fools are putting yourselves in? I'm the God of Destruction. I have reunited my two halves and regained my ultimate powers! And, this vessel now has the fully awakened Infinity Star, you fools would be fighting against all the power in the universe itself! Do you really want to do that?" Dark Thunder declared, the silhouette leaning in and encircling Star, looming over Mario Luigi and Fire Mario menacingly. Fire Mario floated forwards. "Your choice, mortal fools…"

And that's when Final Star attacked.

The God of Destruction proved to be extremely powerful. It wasn't just the cut-chop electroblade attacks like when you first fought Star, as the stars of the universe were being thrown at you, shockwaves of green electricity flew at you, and lets not forget the giant laser Final Star would charge and shoot at everyone, even damaging the field itself. To top it off, the more damage you took, the more pain you felt, the stronger Final Star gets. The God of Destruction feeding off the negative energy from all those around.

It felt as if the entire universe was against them.

Dark Thunder's plan was fully realized at that moment. When Dark Thunder destroyed his opponents, Star would feel guilty that they died at his hands, guilt Dark Thunder could feed off of for power. Then, everything would lead to the universe getting destroyed, except for Star. An eternal fountain of negative energy, fed off of for all the eternal darkness The God of Destruction planned for. That couldn't happen, but it was just too powerful.

"Is there any way to beat him…?" Fire Mario groaned. He looked at his possessed brother, and through the darkness, he could see hurt in the eyes of Final Star. "No, there is one way…" Fire Mario decided, remembering his studies when he had the medallion Star now possesses. "There is one attack… one person who can end this once and for all!" Fire Mario called, hoping that Star could hear him. Dark Thunder quizzically raised and eyebrow. "Do you really think he'd do it? THAT attack is far too dangerous, it would kill us both!" Dark Thunder cackled. Fire Mario wasn't going to give up that easily. "Little Bro! I know you're in there! You have to use it! You have to activate the attack _Infinity Crasher_!" the ghost pleaded. "Not on you life…" Final Star growled. The medallion began to glow. Dark Thunder began to look bewildered. "You're actually going to…?!" It growled. Everything faded around the field as we take a look inside the depths of Star's subconscious.

Star and the God of Destruction are facing each other. "What makes you think you'll live though this? Do you know what happens if you use Infinity Crasher?" growled the being at Star. Star nodded. "I know what I'm doing. If I let you continue the way you are now, everything will be destroyed, by my hands and your will. If I sacrifice myself to stop your plans, it will be worth letting people see another day, it will end the cycle we've been caught in for far too long. It will finally end this story, a story that has been continuing for fifty trillion years. I'm tired, Dark Thunder, and I just want to see everyone happy for one day in their lives. If it means that this is my time of dying, so be it," Star explained. "Besides, haven't I lived long enough?"

The area brightens to white, as Star puts everything he has into Infinity Crasher. The fabled star raises into the air and crashes down on the ground, exploding into a blinding light, then colors and objects return to view.

Everything was repaired, even the destroyed universes had life and color returned to them. Everyone cheered and celebrated. Well, everyone except a certain fire ghost, who was looking at an epty green coat and medallion on the ground. The Infinity Star lay in front of it all, and looked up at Fire Mario. "He is not gone…" the star explained. "His essence is still here, but you must wish him back…with all your hope, he can return…"

The light flashed again as Fire Mario wished. Star came back into existence in a brilliant light show. The two stared at each other a moment. They stumbled forwards. They embraced each other in a tight hug, and didn't let go for hours, even when the Mario brothers joined. "I think it's about time we headed home, don't you agree?" Star asked. With a nod from everyone, Star whistled the Thunder Starchaser over to their location. Everyone hopped aboard and the ship sailed back to the Mario Brother's home planet, the credits rolling.

"Do you think it's finally over?"

"This story is, but there is always a new one waiting to start."

"What happened to the God of Destruction?"

"It's not gone, it's essence will grow strong again. It will gain power from the darkness in the hearts of all creatures, rise again and reign again"

"What happens then?"

"A new story, weakening the darkness again, having it grow strong again. It's inevitable…"

"Is it truly?"

"Yes, but when it happens again is up to the people. If they continue to act the way they do, let their hearts have shadows and darkness, the return of the God of Destruction will come sooner, but if they choose to expel the shadows, using the goodness within them, it may be a long time before that darkness come again. It's up to the hearts and minds of the creatures, now."

"Why was the Infinity Star never fully activated willingly?"

"A wise mortal once said that power corrupts, and that absolute power corrupts absolutely. Imagine the consequences with infinite power."

"I see."

Mario and Luigi returned to the castle to tell everyone the good news. Handshakes and thank yous, and even a royal feast was issued that day. For one day, even if it seemed impossible, everyone in the universe could smile, everyone can be happy, now that the ever lasting darkness that plagued the hearts of creatures was finally put to rest, even if just for one day. Everyone had seen a change in heart. Even creatures that had no heart, learned to love again. Black Hole Bowser embraced his son for the first time in so long, and for one day, he cried and was happy with what he had: A flourishing kingdom with the son any father would be proud of. Everything just seemed so right.

The first universers returned to their now lush, reborn universe with promises to return and visit. But they had to leave eventually. There was a long overdue wedding that had to be attended to, after all.

Let's let everyone be happy.

 **THE END**


End file.
